New Delhi: In the wake of increasing health problems like blood pressure, stress and heart-related diseases, the Central government has decided to take the stock of your eating habits.

To start with, it has decided to reduce at least 5 percent amount of salt in the salty items like namkin, chips and also food varieties served in big restaurants. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, during the UN General Assembly in New York, is likely to make an announcement in this regard.

Witnessing the fast spreading of non-infectious diseases, UN General Assembly for the first time has convened a meeting on September 19-20 to discuss the growing problem. This is the second time that a meeting on health related issues will be held by the UN.

According to a senior official in the health department, people in our country are used to having more quantity of sugar and salt in their food, hence in the first year the department would target to reduce at least 5 percent salt in food items. By enforcing the decision on the big restaurants and food manufacturing companies first, it would be easy for us to monitor the move, he added.

In addition, a campaign would also be launched to spread awareness for less usage of salt.

In the second step, the government is also mulling over the decision to restrict the usage of oil and sugar.

Entire world has raised concerns over the use of salt. Norway, in the UN Assembly meeting, had even sought to set a target of reducing the usage of salt by 2025. It states that a goal should be declared to reduce five grams of salt per person per day by 2025. However, it was not approved by all.

India registered 54.66 lakh deaths due to non-infectious diseases in 2005 which is 53 percent of total deaths in the country.